By: Clay Green
The soundtrack of summer can be different for many people. To some, it may be riding down the road, windows down and the radio playing. To others, it may be the peaceful sound of the wind blowing, tree leaves shaking, and the sound of chirping birds.
To some, their soundtrack of summer is the sounds coming from the Indiana State Fair.
Imagine the summer sun warming everyone and everything. At the same time, the sounds of people talking, laughter, and joyful squeals of children fill the air. You enter a bustling building with air that is cool from the AC and filled with the sounds of people’s conversations echoing off the concrete floor. One wall is covered with tanks filled with water and the fish found in Indiana waters, and the booths are lined with handouts from state-wide organizations; however, one of those organizations stands out above the rest.
The Indiana Hunter Education booth.
A line forms around a booth filled with people waiting for their chance to shoot the air rifles. While they wait, they are being outfitted with their blaze orange hunting vest, quizzed over animal furs, and watching the TV screens highlighting the events put on by the hard-working people who are the backbone and soul of the Indiana Hunter Education Association (IHEA). The line is filled with kids and their parents, young adults, and everyone in between, waiting for their turn. They chat with Indiana Conservation Officers and volunteers as they inch closer and closer to the sound of pings waiting to have their opportunity at the air rifles. The volunteers or Conservation Officers are there to help.
Many people stop by to grab a free calendar, ask questions about hunting or classes offered, and tell stories about their own experiences. A quick moment in their day, and what might seem like nothing to most, is one reason why these volunteers keep coming up. I was lucky enough to talk to three of these volunteers and got a chance to get a glimpse into their world and see what keeps them coming back.
IHEA member and instructor Richard Betz was kind enough to offer up a few words on the topic. Richard, an instructor for 10 years, has been volunteering his time at the State Fair for about eight years now. He said that the main reason he keeps coming back is that he “just really likes getting out there and talking to the people.” He gets to know them in these short interactions, and he gets to answer the questions they have and help pass on some of that knowledge. Getting a chance to interact with the people and hopefully bring them into something new, or just simply having a talk about old outdoor memories with the guest, will keep them all coming back for years to come.
Some of these memories of the State Fair are so strong that people have been going year after year, making it a family day or weekend. Another volunteer that I got to speak with has long-standing ties with the State Fair. To him, it’s not just working a booth or “just going out to the fair” he has been attending for 52 years. He and his wife have been working at the IHEA booth since 2012. I spoke with them as a pair; to be honest, I don’t think I have seen them apart. When I hear their names spoken, it’s normally together, Robby and Robyn Woodruff. The Fair is very much a family day event for them, a day with the kids and a day they never realized would incorporate so much. After being with IHEA and having that extended family transfer over, the time at the fair was that much more special. Much like Richard, they both had to agree that a big key part that keeps them coming back to volunteer at the State Fair is the people.
“It’s the interaction with people, you see all walks of life,” Robby said.
Robby is particularly fond of the archery side of it. He talks about how there could be some people who might not be able to shoot a pellet rifle, but they can get them to shoot Archery. He feels that people enjoy that more because it’s not something they get to do every day.
Robyn chimed in on this topic too, she said, “it is rewarding to either put a bow in someone’s hand, or a firearm in someone’s hand that their only opportunity maybe to do that at the State Fair and seeing their smiles on their face is just really rewarding.” – I couldn’t agree more Robyn.
The interaction with people and the smiles brought about by the work of the volunteers are enough to keep everyone coming back, but there are some moments that just stick with you. It’s those moments when someone says the words “State Fair,” it’s the first thing that pops in your head. To you, it may be giant corn dogs, but to Robyn, two memories stick out. The first one was when State Fair and GEN Con took place at the same time, and she got to shoot archery with a Stormtrooper from Star Wars. The second and more powerful memory is shared with Robby as well. A moment that brought a tear to my eye just hearing it.
Robyn told me this story about a family that had come up to the State Fair, and they all took their turns shooting Archery at the Hunter Ed booth. Their daughter, who is nonverbal with limited use of arms and a wheelchair, was with them. Robby kept talking to her dad, saying, “Let’s get her up there to shoot.” Her dad was saying, “No, it’s okay.” Robyn talks about how Robby keeps telling him, “Trust me, she can do it.” She goes on to tell the story of how they got her up to the line and Robby gets her to shoot, not once, but three times, and she just has this big smile on her face and claps her hands.
It’s interactions like these that set us apart from other organizations and other booths. We are not only a group of people with similar interests, we are an extended family. We are there to work and have fun. To make memories and pass along the knowledge we all have to share. I look forward to any chance I have to volunteer with the men and women of this organization, and I am proud to be part of this extended family. I want to leave with a quote, something that Robby said while we were on the phone talking about State Fair: “It’s the memories you walk home with.”
To me, that speaks volumes not only to what the State Fair offers but what the Indiana Hunter Education Association offers.
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